Miles O'Keeffe (born June 20, 1954) is an American film and television actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the

title role The title character in a Narrative, narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The ...

in the 1981 version of '' Tarzan, the Ape Man''.

Youth

O'Keeffe was born in Ripley,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. A star

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

athlete, he attended the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

and played halfback on the freshman football team in 1972. However, in 1973 he transferred to

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

under a football scholarship, playing as an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. During this time, he bulked up to . Subsequently, he transferred to

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...

Sewanee, Tennessee Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sewanee is best known as the home of ...

and became a small college All-American playing both

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. After studying

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, O'Keeffe became a prison counselor in the Tennessee penal system for a year or two where he became manager of playground activities and inmate weightlifting programs. He left for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

to play in a

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a consid ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

team before becoming involved with

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

Acting career

Although O'Keeffe is known for his big break as Tarzan, he is also remembered for his performances in the title role of the first three ''

Ator ''Ator'' is a film series of four Italian movies made in the 1980s by director Joe D'Amato, under the pseudonym David Hills. D'Amato wrote and directed the first, second, and fourth films in the series, himself disregarding the existence of the t ...

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

films produced in Europe in the 1980s. The series gained attention in 1991 after a re-edited version of the second installment, released as '' Cave Dwellers'', was lampooned on the television series ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'' (''MST3K''). The episode, which soon became immensely popular among fans, included one of the most-quoted quips in the show's history: "How much Keeffe is in this movie anyway?" "''Miles'' O'Keeffe!" Unlike some of ''MST3K's'' subjects (such as

Sandy Frank Sandy Frank (born Sundel Francous; July 11, 1929) is an American television producer, distributor, and marketer of TV shows to US networks. Early life and career Frank grew up in Mount Kisco, New York. He started his career as a sales executiv ...

), O'Keeffe is considered to be a "good sport" and is a fan of the series. He enjoyed the ''MST3K'' treatment of the film so much that he requested a copy of the episode. O'Keeffe gained

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

in the UK between 1999 and 2002 as a result of being targeted by

chat show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

host

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...

for prank calls, eventually appearing on the show ''

So Graham Norton ''So Graham Norton'' is a British television chat show hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. It aired on Channel 4 from 3 July 1998 to 1 March 2002. Theme The show was primarily adult-oriented, with host Norton dishing out many sexual inn ...

'' to great acclaim.

Selected filmography

*'' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1981), as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

*''

Ator, The Fighting Eagle ''Ator, the Fighting Eagle'' ( it, Ator l'invincibile; translated: "Ator the Invincible") is a 1982 Italian adventure- fantasy film directed by Joe D'Amato, and the first film to feature the character Ator (played by Miles O'Keeffe). Plot As th ...

'' (1982) *'' S.A.S. à San Salvador'' (1983), as

Malko Linge Malko (fl. 1540-1560) is the earliest king of Garo who is more than just a name in the traditions of the Oromo people. According to Werner Lange, "only the confused circumstances of his death were recalled: he is reputed to have been killed by "Gr ...

*'' The Blade Master'' (a.k.a. ''Ator 2 - L'invincibile Orion'', a.k.a. ''Cave Dwellers'') (1984) *'' Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' (1984) *''The Bengal Lancers!'' (1984, unfinished) *'' Lone Runner'' (1986) *''

Iron Warrior ''Iron Warrior'' ( it, Ator il guerriero di ferro) is 1987 film directed by Alfonso Brescia. Plot Ator The Fighting Eagle returns again, sans sidekick Thong, to the legendary realm of Dragor to do battle with Phoedra, an evil sorceress. Her main w ...

'' (a.k.a. ''Ator 3'') (1987) *'' Double Target'' (1987) *'' Campus Man'' (1987) *'' Waxwork'' (1988) *''

The Drifter A drifter is a vagrant who moves from place to place without a fixed home or employment. Drifter(s) or The Drifter(s) may also refer to: Films and television Films * ''The Drifter'' (1917 film), an American film directed by Fred Kelsey * ''Th ...

'' (1988) *''Phantom Raiders'' (1988), as Python *'' Dead On: Relentless II'' (1992) *''

Zero Tolerance A zero tolerance policy is one which imposes a punishment for every infraction of a stated rule.zero tolerance, n.' (under ''zero, n.''). The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed. 1989. Retrieved 10 November 2009. Italy, Japan, Singapore China, Indi ...

'' (1995) *''Millennium Day'' (1995) *''Silent Hunter'' (1995) *'' Pocahontas: The Legend'' (1995), as

Captain John Smith John Smith (baptized 6 January 1580 – 21 June 1631) was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author. He played an important role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, the first pe ...

*''Marked Man'' (1996) *''Tiger'' (1997) *''True Vengeance'' (1997) *''Dead Tides'' (1997) *''Diamondbacks'' (1999) *''Unconditional Love'' (1999) *''Moving Targets'' (1999) *''Blood and Honor'' (2000) *''Out of the Black'' (2001) *''The Unknown'' (a.k.a. ''Clawed: The Legend of

Sasquatch Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including Anecdotal evidence, ...

'') (2005)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Okeeffe, Miles American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Tennessee 1954 births Living people People from Ripley, Tennessee